


OUAT, episode 3: ''Maternal instinct''

by Omorocca



Series: Once Upon a Time [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-06
Updated: 2012-07-06
Packaged: 2017-11-09 07:05:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/452681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Omorocca/pseuds/Omorocca
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Story written in the hiatus before 'The Return' so it finally takes Rumbelle into consideration. However, it does not fit with how Rumpelstiltskin and Belle meet again in the finale.<br/>Not saying too much, I don't want to spoil.<br/>I truly wish you like it, it's the first time I show my fanfictions to strangers. Feel free to comment whether you liked or not, but be respectful.<br/>Thank you</p><p>Apparently I can't fix these wide spacings when I copy/paste the text. Oh well!</p>
            </blockquote>





	OUAT, episode 3: ''Maternal instinct''

 

Fanfiction

Characters © OUAT writers and producers

Mother Gothel and Rapunzel © Grimm

Rebecca, Dominic and original characters are mine

 

 

 

Storybrooke, Maine

 

Emma was working early this morning. Files were spread on every desk and table in the Sheriff’s office and it looked like she hadn’t had a good night sleep in a few days. Her eyes were red and her hair looked messy. When she grabbed one of the files, it slipped from her hands and all its contents ended up everywhere on the floor.

 

“Oh, crap!”

 

It was at that moment that Mary Margaret came in, holding a crate with hot chocolates and sandwiches from ‘Granny’s’.

 

“Everything all right?”

 

Emma sighed as she put the papers back on the table.

 

“No.”

“What is all this?”

 

As she tried to put the lunch somewhere, and failed, Mary Margaret put it on a chair and took a few files to check them out.

 

“These, Emma said while making room on a table for the lunch, are all the unsolved cases. All the cases that were never closed. Graham investigated them all but couldn’t find an answer to any of ‘em!”

“And you’re trying to…”

 

Emma sat down and took one of the cups. Some breakfast would do her good.

 

“Since I took this job, I tried to solve things my way and came up empty most of the time. So I’m trying a new point of view.”

“Whose?” asked the teacher, but then she realised. “Henry’s!”

“I need to explain all these holes in the investigations… all those trails that went cold for no reason.”

“And how is it going with this new perspective?”

 

Emma sighed and answered: “It’s making me nuts!” Her friend couldn’t help but try to reassure her.

 

“You’re being too hard on yourself. You have good instincts, trust them! I have faith in you, like you had in me… Get your mind off it for a while”, she finally said, handing Emma her breakfast in a very motherly manner.

“Thanks, mommy!” the Sheriff answered sarcastically.

 

They both laughed, but Mary Margaret’s eyes betrayed how touched she was to be called ‘mommy’.

 

 

King Gabriel’s castle

 

King Gabriel and his councillors were all gathered in the war room, debating. On a wall, the map of their land was filled with arrows showing the battle fronts. The enemy was circling them, pushing them in a corner, and the king was desperate.

 

“How about the men sent from the North?”

“I am sorry, Your Majesty, answered a councillor, we still have no news from them.”

“Lady Rapunzel’s men?”

“Still holding their line.”

 

In their seats, by the king’s side, prince Wilfried and a very pregnant princess Rapunzel were also studying the map with worry.

 

“Every single battle strategy we tried failed… as if our enemy knows every one of our moves.”

“How could it?” Wilfried asked. “We barely know what we’re doing. We’re walking in the dark here.”

“Perhaps I can help you”, answered a woman’s voice, as a beautiful witch appeared in the room, to everyone’s amazement.

 

Quickly, the king rose up, a hand on his sword.

 

“Who are you? What do you want?”

“What I want is to offer a solution to your problem… and as for who I am, I am sure Lady Gothel’s daughter knows.”

“You’re Maleficent, aren’t you?” asked Rapunzel who had risen from her chair and gotten closer to the visitor.

“Indeed I am. I’m honoured to meet you. Your mother told me so much about you. I’m very sorry for your loss.” She looked at Rapunzel’s belly. “And I am happy for your gain.”

“Thank you.”

 

It was only then that she paid attention to the king staring at her.

 

“Gothel’s men are growing tired and they will not be able to hold their line any longer. Right now, they are the only thing slowing the enemy down. But we can change that.”

“How?” asked Wilfried who had approached his wife. “What are you suggesting?”

“Do you know who it is you’re fighting?”

“What do _you_ know?”

“He was once a wealthy landowner who had a fascination with dark magic. When his first wife found out, he murdered her. She was the first of many to die to cover his secret. His seventh wife got away with the help of her sister and two brothers who fought the evil lord and left him for dead. He’s using everything in his power to gain a means of healing his wounds. Magic works but for a price he’s not willing to pay. Which brings us to why he’s here.”

 

The king and Wilfried listened to the story, slowly understanding where it led. Only Rapunzel didn’t fully understand the enemy’s motivations.

 

“Why is he here?”

“And more importantly, interrupted the king, how do we win against him?”

“Use his own weapons against him” the dark fairy replied.

“But he uses monsters, and _magic_ ” he answered, not without a certain disgust at the word ‘magic’.

“Then you have to do the same.”

“You would do this for us?” asked Rapunzel before the king could say anything against magic.

“Not me, dear child… you!”

“m… me? But I’m not a witch.”

“It doesn’t matter. Your mother gave you half of her powers and her books of spells are yours now. They contain all you need to learn to repel the one they call ‘Blue Beard’…”

“I’m not sure it’s a good idea, said Wilfried. Lady Gothel was murdered because of her magic.”

“She stayed behind, knowing she could die. She did what she had to do to protect her child. What will you do to protect yours?”

“Enough, said the king. Could we have a word in private, please?”

 

Maleficent agreed and they both left the room to speak freely.

 

“What are you trying to do here? I know magic doesn’t solve your problems for free.”

“Which is why I haven’t intervened, yet. Gothel’s spells are powered by true love. They have better consequences than the ones I would use.”

“It is still magic.”

“Oh, don’t pretend to be so innocent. I know what you keep hidden in your vault! I know what your family suffer through. Rapunzel is about to have her child. Are you willing to risk its life?”

 

 

Storybrooke, Maine

 

Emma entered Dr Whale’s office, some files in her hand and a very disturbed look on her face. The doctor obviously seemed surprised to see her.

 

“Hello, Sheriff. What can I do for you?”

“I’m going through Graham’s old cases and I had a few files about things that happened in this hospital. Some psych patients claimed they were ‘isolated in a dark room in the hospital’s basement and severely medicated for days. I checked through hall of records; the psych ward doesn’t have a basement… Do you know what’s going on here?”

“I have no idea—basement, you said?” The Sheriff nodded, he thought hard before answering. “There was an argument, a few years back, about some construction… I will have to check the hospital records. If I remember correctly, they had to stop it because of land ownership.”

“What?... Isn’t the hospital state property?”

“Yes, but the land it’s on was loaned to the state for its construction. And the owner won’t let anything happen to his land without his permission.”

“Do I want to know who owns it?”

 

The doctor let out a sarcastic smile.

 

“Who owns most of the land in this town?... As soon as Mr Gold found out about this, he put a stop to them. The contract gave him that right. It must have something to do with what’s in your files. They put a locked door where the project began, labelled it ‘EXIT’ and no one ever went there.”

“I’m not so sure about that. I think I saw someone come out of that place, the other day…”

“That’s impossible!”

 

They went to the door in question, Dr Whale tried a password on the keyboard but it didn’t work.

 

“I think you’ll need a warrant.”

“Better yet, I’ll go get the owner.”

 

 

 

With its iron fence surrounding it, the old wooden house looked almost like a fortress. Outside were a truck and some people moving furniture and boxes in. In the middle of this ruckus, Rebecca Toren and Dominic Muller were giving instructions as well as moving stuff. The men’s employer, Mr Gold, was also helping around.

 

Emma stopped the car and took some time to look at the scene, the unbelievable scene, before getting out.

 

“Where do you want the piano?” Mr Gold asked Rebecca, as two men pulled one from the truck.

 

Rebecca guided them into the house as Dominic was coming back out, his cane getting used to the surroundings. Emma got closer to Gold, who seemed surprised to see her.

 

“Sheriff Swan… to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I need to talk to you about a certain construction project at the hospital. I have reason to think it didn’t stop when you said so.”

“So you know about the lease contract. Why do you think the project went on?”

“Police reports of some complaints by hospital patients, who have been taken to rooms that aren’t supposed to exist.”

 

Gold listened to this news with growing anger. So the project had continued without his permission.

 

“So, why have you come to me?”

“To get authorisation to break into this place for myself and probably solve a few cases that I think were buried for a reason and I think you know by whom.”

 

The pawnbroker had a strange smile. The smile Emma recognised as bad news.

 

“Then I will come with you.”

 

He turned to Dominic who had joined them and they exchanged a few words before Gold followed Emma to the police car.

 

“What’s going on?” asked Rebecca coming behind her boyfriend.

“I’m not sure, he answered, but I think we might have to stop your ex from doing something crazy.”

 

 

On the balcony of King Gabriel’s castle, Rapunzel was sitting on a bench and contemplating the horizon through the night. One of her hands caressed her belly where a promise laid. The other hand rested on something that was on her lap. A book she hesitated to open.

 

Wilfried came behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. It seemed to wake her up and she realised she was cold.

 

“You’re still thinking about what Maleficent said the other day.”

“I can’t get it out of my head. This man that’s fighting us, he wants what your father has – whatever that is – and he will destroy everything in his way. We must do something to keep our family safe.”

“We’re doing everything in our power.”

 

They looked at each other intensely, both understanding what the other wanted.

 

“Are we?” she finally asked.

“We both know this”, he looked at the book, “comes with a price. Are you ready for what it could be?”

“No… but I’m not ready to lose my family to this man either.” She opened her mother’s book and Wilfried twitched. “I found a spell in here that’s quite easy. Even with just one half of the amulet, it could work and it will tell us of Blue Beard’s plans. What do you think?”

“I think I might have to stop you from doing something crazy.”

 

 

Storybrooke, Maine

 

At the door of the restricted section, stood the sheriff, the doctor and the landowner. None of them had the password and it was left to Marco, the town’s do-it-all man, to pick the electronic lock. They then entered the room and down the stairs to see what was hidden there.

 

Emma and Dr Whale were surprised to see a nurse’s station and a corridor with some doors in a place that wasn’t supposed to exist. Mr Gold, for his part, seemed furious for the completion of this project meant only one thing: Regina was planning something with this place, something she kept from him with the obvious intent of using it against him.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

They turned to see the nurse Emma had seen before, who had come out of nowhere and who was staring at the three of them… well, four. Marco had joined them.

 

“I’m Sheriff Swan and—”

“I know who you are! What are you doing here?”

 

Her voice was calm but her tone was rather aggressive.

 

“I am here because I have reason to believe something illegal happened here and—”

“Do you have a warrant?”

“She doesn’t need one, Mr Gold intervened. I gave her authorisation.”

 

And he showed her the contract, which she read carefully. The more she read, the more she looked worried. She obviously knew nothing of this; she was just a pawn in Regina’s plans. In the meantime, Emma, Dr Whale and Marco searched the place. They opened the windows of each cell, looked carefully, with all the same result: every cell was empty.

 

“All right, what’s going on here?” the sheriff asked.

“Nothing that concerns you”, the nurse replied.

“Listen to me, lady. You’re already doing something illegal just by working here. Your only option right now is to cooperate, or I will put you under arrest.”

 

The nurse held her stare, thinking fast. She then grabbed her coat.

 

“Very well, if you must.”

 

 

 

At the station, Emma brought the woman to the interrogation room, as the three men put the file boxes in the bullpen area.

 

“Well, that’s about all I can do now”, said Marco.

“Thank you for your help”, Dr Whale replied as the craftsman left to get back to his busy schedule.

 

The doctor and the pawnbroker began to get the files out when two people entered the room. Mr Gold looked at them with surprise.

 

“What are you two doing here?”

“We saw you leave with the sheriff, answered Rebecca. Dominic said you both sounded upset… I thought we might be able to help.”

“I don’t know, said the doctor. These are patients’ files, kind of sensitive. I might have to do this alone.” He stopped talking, staring at the files in front of him, as Emma was coming back to the bullpen. “Actually, you can help. There’s no name on any of those files, there’s no way of linking any of them to anyone. Miss Toren, you already signed a non-disclosure agreement.”

“What is this?” asked Gold, pointing an envelope in one of Dr Wales’ boxes.

 

The physician opened it. Inside, were a dozen photos of patients who had gone to this ward, but they were unidentified. The only information on the pictures was the date they had been taken.

 

“There’s no clue to who any of these people are”, he said.

“Do you remember seeing any of them at the hospital?” Emma asked the doctor. “What about you, Rebecca? Did you see any of them when you volunteered?”

 

The four of them started to spread the pictures on a desk as Dominic, feeling useless, found his way to a chair on which he sat. Dr Whale and Rebecca were carefully examining every picture, trying to put names on the faces, but it was Mr Gold who had a reaction. He suddenly got very pale and Rebecca saw that

 

“Are you all right?”

“That… that’s impossible!”

 

He was about to faint from the shock; they all heard a fast tick-tock of a cane and Dominic was already behind Mr Gold to hold him up. He and Rebecca helped the pawnbroker sit down.

 

“Did you recognise someone?” asked Emma, replacing some of the photos in the area where he had looked. “Who did you see?”

 

Mr Gold could barely utter a word. No one, not even Rebecca, had ever seen him like that. He simply grabbed the picture that caused his reaction. It showed a young woman, barely older than Rebecca, with brown hair and clear blue eyes that revealed her distress. A picture that wasn’t supposed to exist.

 

“Do you know this woman?” He nodded. The sheriff carefully took the picture from his hand to look at it and gave it right back when she saw how desperate he looked. “Who is she?”

 

Once the picture was back in his hand, he slowly answered.

 

“Her name… is… Elizabeth French… and she… is dead.”

“French… like Moe French?” He nodded; the sheriff understood something she had wondered about for quite some time. “What do you mean, she’s dead?”

“What happened?” asked Rebecca, with a surprizing amount of concern.

“It’s… complicated. We- I don’t…”

“You loved her.”

 

His eyes widened. How could she guess? Could she recognize true love because she was feeling it herself?

 

“Badly… I pushed her away. She went back to her father and… I learned that he had her locked up and she killed herself.”

“Who told you that?” asked Emma, but then she knew the answer. “Regina… that’s why she insisted on speaking to you after you beat up Mr French.” He nodded again, silently. She continued. “And that’s why you beat him up. You thought he’d caused her death.”

“That’s what I thought… but this- this picture… it’s impossible.”

“Look at the date on the back, Gold… it was taken a few weeks ago.”

“What?”

“According to this picture, she’s still alive. But as to where she is now…”

 

Mr Gold was speechless. In his mind, questions kept coming, bombarding his sanity with horrifying thoughts from the past, from before the curse. Suddenly, his eyes changed, and he rose up, furious and determined.

 

“That nurse will know.”

“Oh hell no! You won’t go near her.”

“Do we really have time to argue over this, Sheriff?”

“When Miss French is involved… No, you know the law. You raise a hand on that nurse and I’ll have to let her go… I’ll handle it.”

“She will not tell you anything.”

“I said, I’ll handle it.”

 

And she left, to go interrogate the nurse, while Gold, growing furious, walked around in circles, a caged beast. Dr Whale broke the awkward silence.

 

“I’ll make a few calls to the hospital so they start searching.”

 

Rebecca thanked him with a grateful look and the doctor left to make those calls. Looking at the wall, his hands still trembling, Mr Gold waited for him to leave before saying.

 

“She will not speak… not to _her_.”

 

 

King Gabriel’s castle

 

That very evening, they were at the lake by King Gabriel’s castle; Rapunzel, Wilfried, the king and some guards. Rapunzel had knelt down and was reading from her mother’s book, her amulet in her hand. Behind her, Wilfried stood silent and his father was nervously playing with his hands, unnerved by this power his new daughter attempted to summon.

 

The water troubled and a layer of mist began to cover it. The witch’s daughter looked in her book and knew it had worked. She threw her amulet in the lake.

 

“Show us this man who threatens this kingdom.”

 

The mist dissipated and the river revealed the face of the man with the blue beard. They could see how wounded he was; he limped and held his side as if to stop a bleeding.

 

“How did this man know about all our defence tactics?”

 

The water troubled again, the mist returned. Rapunzel frowned, looked in her book and repeated her question differently.

 

“Who helped Blue Beard defeat our plans to corner him?”

 

The mist grew clearer again, and the water showed a strange man, sitting on a tree branch, watching something below him with amusement.

 

“Who is he?... What is his name?”

 

From the water came a whisper that gave them all chills: “Rumpelstiltskin.”

 

And then, it showed Rapunzel something else, something she hadn’t asked but had suspected: the murder of her mother by Rumpelstiltskin’s hand. The mist then vanished completely and the amulet came back floating to her. She took it with a trembling hand, in shock.

 

“Why did it show me this?” she asked, terrified.

 

She looked around for an explanation, but froze. They all followed her stare to see the object of her new fear: Rumpelstiltskin was sitting on a tree branch, watching them, just like the spell had shown. Instinctively, Wilfried drew his sword and placed himself in front of Rapunzel. All the other guards drew their swords as well.

 

“tut-tut-tut”, said the imp, getting down from the tree. “Is that a way to greet a guest?”

“You are not welcome here”, answered the prince.

 

Rumpelstiltskin paused and faked a sad face.

 

“But why? I only want to help!” He stepped closer to Wilfried until the prince’s sword touched his jugular, and addressed Rapunzel behind him. “This was impressive for a first spell, princess.”

“What do you want?”

“To toy with us, Rapunzel answered. You were powerful enough to kill my mother; you could have made ‘Blue Beard’ win long ago if you had wanted. You’re playing with all of us.”

“Now now, I simply took advantage of an existing situation. I wanted to see what you were capable of. Would you have preferred I let him kill you all and take the cup?”

“The what?”

 

Wilfried and his father looked at each other. How did he know?

 

“The grail of course! The one your father-in-law keeps locked up in his vault. The grail that cures and curses the one who drinks from it.”

“What? I don’t… ”

“They didn’t tell you?” he laughed like a child and clapped in his hands. “This is wonderful!”

“Enough, said the king. How do you know about the grail?”

“How I know is my business. What you should be wondering is what will happen when lovely Rapunzel gives birth. Can her mother’s spells protect the baby boy from the grail’s curse?”

 

Rapunzel had walked towards Rumpelstiltskin, holding her amulet instinctively on her belly.

 

“What curse? What are you talking about?”

 

The imp laughed, but it was the king who answered, his head down in shame.

 

“My great-grandfather was wounded in battle, much like Blue Beard. One day, he was fishing and caught this strange cup. A wizard told him it had the power to cure all his wounds, so he didn’t think twice and drank from it…”

“What happened?”

“All his ailments disappeared… and he bounded his fate to the grail forever, condemned himself and all his male descendants to guard it with their lives… to live with the constant temptation its magic provides…”

 

The king saw that Rapunzel looked at him intensely. He had finally told her this terrible secret that weighed on his soul. But it was too late. She was to have a son. A cursed son.

 

Rumpelstiltskin laughed.

 

“All magic comes with a price.”

“So that’s why you hate magic so much, the princess told the king. And that’s why Blue Beard is here. He doesn’t have children to curse, so he doesn’t care about its price.”

“But it can’t work on him, answered Wilfried. Our family is bound to the grail and it to us. It has been like so for generations.”

“Your new wife has already figured it out, dearie.”

 

Indeed, Rapunzel was pale as death.

 

“You can steal magic by killing the person it belongs to… like you did with my mother.”

“Exactly!”

“But our whole family is bound to it, Wilfried answered. Does it mean he has to kill us all?”

“Only the male heirs are affected by the curse, dearie. Which means, _all of them_ have to die by Blue Beard’s hand for him to gain control of the grail’s power.”

“And you want it to happen, don’t you?”

 

Rumpelstiltskin ignored the prince and focused on the witch’s daughter.

 

“You have the power to stop him.” He pointed to her amulet. “True love can make its spells work. But the choice is only yours.”

“No, said the king. Rapunzel, please don’t listen to him. We’ll find another way.”

“It’s _her_ choice, replied the imp, still looking at the princess. What are you willing to do to protect your son?”

 

They stared at each other for a long time; the evil imp and the witch’s daughter, the possessors of the amulet’s two halves. Rapunzel held Rumpelstiltskin’s terrifying stare.

 

“Watch me!”

 

 

Storybrooke, Maine

 

Leaning on the table, Emma was growing impatient. Sitting in front of her, the nurse refused to speak, even to ask for a lawyer. They were running in circles and the sheriff was considering letting Mr Gold have a try, when there was a knock at the door.

 

Emma opened and saw Rebecca, nervously playing with her necklace.

 

“I’m… I’m sorry… I couldn’t stop him.”

“What?”

“We know Regina is behind this and you won’t let him talk to _her_.” She gave a look at the nurse. “He said he would go to the source.”

“Crap!”

 

Emma quickly closed and locked the door and left the station, jumped in the police car to go to Regina’s house, hoping to stop Gold in time.

 

Back in the interrogation room, the nurse heard a tickling and the door reopened, its lock carefully picked. Mr Gold entered the room to the nurse’s astonishment and left the door open behind him.

 

 

 

On the road to Regina’s house, Emma was wondering why Gold would risk destroying what was probably their best case against Regina – especially after what she had done to a woman he obviously loved – when they needed all their strength to find Elizabeth French.

 

Then, she hit the brakes.

 

“Damn!”

 

How could she be that stupid?

 

 

 

Back at the police station, she ran to the interrogation room. Rebecca was at the door, watching everything and she jumped when she saw the sheriff. Inside, Mr Gold was casually leaning on the table, his face very close to that of the nurse who had turned white and was almost crying. The evil grin of the menacing man made it all more terrifying and Emma knew before he even spoke.

 

“I know where she is.”

 

 

 

Having called ahead, Emma arrived at the hospital, with Rebecca, Dominic and Mr Gold. Dr Whale was already waiting, with a list of all the patients who had been transferred in the past two weeks.

 

“Trauma is in the west wing… There are six restricted observation rooms. If this woman told the truth, Miss French is in one of them.”

 

They walked towards said rooms, and Dr Whale entered one along with Rebecca and two other nurses.

 

“I’m sorry, he said, hospital personnel only. You get caught, I get fired.”

 

As they were searching the trauma rooms, Emma, Dominic and Mr Gold waited in the corridor. Emma stared at Mr Gold with anger so clear that even Dominic could notice.

 

“I didn’t touch her, he said. Rebecca can testify to that?”

“She’s accessory to your crime, Gold. Her testimony won’t make a difference if the nurse files a complaint.”

“She will not.”

“How do you know that?” she asked. When he didn’t answer, she turned to Dominic. “What about you? Why didn’t you try to stop them?”

“Rebecca made him promise on Elizabeth’s life he wouldn’t use violence. I believed him.”

 

She looked at both men as if they had gone nuts and was about to say something about it, when Rebecca got out of a room with a big smile that lit her face.

 

“She’s here!”

 

They rushed to the doorway to look inside the room. On a bed, disoriented and foggy, Elizabeth French was absentmindedly looking at everyone around her.

 

“They drugged her a lot, Dr Whale explained. It might take some time before she’s fully conscious.”

“Why did ‘they’ hide the patients like that? Emma asked. Did they know we were coming?”

“Regina still has the keys to every door in town, answered Gold in a trance. She could have searched your office…”

 

At the sound of his voice, Elizabeth looked towards Mr Gold. Her eyes tried to focus and the two of them looked at each other for a few seconds. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she recognized him and she began to panic. Gold took a step towards her, which only made her scream. “Elizabeth”, he said, hesitatingly. She screamed some more. Dr Whale and Rebecca tried to calm her down, as Emma and Dominic held Gold back.

 

“Let’s wait outside”, Emma suggested pulling Gold out.

 

He resisted, his face full of emotion, but Dominic held him firmly. They could see Rebecca calming Elizabeth, almost motherly, before they left.

 

 

 

Once she was transferred to an observation room that allowed visitors, Elizabeth French seemed a little more relaxed. Rebecca was always by her side, Emma and Dominic could also enter the room without her freaking out. However, Mr Gold had to stay behind the glass door. She was not ready for him.

 

Dr Whale got out of the room to talk to Gold, Emma following him.

 

“Well, we’ll keep her here for now, until the drugs are all flushed out of her system. I’ll call Dr Hopper to see if I can get him to do an evaluation of her and—”

 

He paused; behind them, Regina had come in with two orderlies. Emma looked at the mayor with anger.

 

“Regina… what are you doing here?”

“I think you know. Miss French was taken from the psych ward and I am here to make sure she goes back where she belongs.”

“Based on what grounds?” asked Gold about to jump at her jugular.

“Past psych evaluations that clearly demanded it”, she answered as an orderly handed the files to Dr Whale.

“Let’s not make a scene in front of the patients, Dr Whale asked. Please, let’s go to my office.”

 

He led the way. After a long moment of staring at each other, Regina and Gold followed. Emma took a look through the glass door at Elizabeth, Rebecca and Dominic, before following, not without noticing that Rebecca had witnessed the whole thing.

 

 

King Gabriel’s castle

 

King Gabriel was walking in circles in the corridor, playing with his hands. Every scream coming from the room made him even more nervous. Standing in a corner, the captain of Gothel’s guards was also there, his broken arm carrying a battle report.

 

The door opened and a servant got out, carrying some towels.

 

“He’s perfectly fine, Your Majesty.”

 

 _He_. So it really was a boy. Another cursed male heir, just like the imp had said. The king entered the room, followed by the captain who stayed by the door. He looked at his son and Rapunzel, both exhausted and happy, and his new grandson, carefully nested in his mother’s arms.

 

“Oh… look at this beautiful little boy.”

 

Rapunzel smiled, her eyes filled with blissful tears.

 

“How will you name him?” asked the king.

“We thought thoroughly, answered Wilfried, and we wanted to give him his godfather’s name.”

“And who is his godfather’s going to be?”

“You, silly!” Rapunzel answered with a grin.

 

The king startled, his eyes watered and he knew Rapunzel had forgiven him.

 

“Are-… Are you sure?... I mean, Gabriel is a very old name.”

 

Rapunzel laughed, so did the king.

 

“We think it’s perfect, she answered. Do you want to hold your grandson?”

“I would be honoured.”

 

He took little Gabriel in his arms, as Rapunzel waved to her captain to come see. She had always considered him as part of the family. The man, moved by the moment, was still here about something else.

 

“I’m sorry, my Lady… I mean, Your Highness. I’m very happy for you; however I just came back from the frontlines. Our men can’t hold any more.”

“What are you saying?” asked the king.

“I think it’s just a matter of time before Blue Beard is at the castle. I’m sorry. I just don’t know what else to do.”

“I do”, Rapunzel answered.

 

Slowly, she got up, ignored Wilfried’s protests and picked up her mother’s book.

 

“My Lady, asked the captain, what are you doing?”

“Rapunzel?”

“I know, Wilfried, I know… but we don’t have a choice anymore. We have our son to think about.”

 

She kissed her husband, trying to get some courage, and opened her mother’s book. Holding her amulet in her hand, she began to mutter the spell that would repel the menace from her family.

 

 

 

Sitting on a tree branch, with a view on the castle and the battlefronts, Rumpelstiltskin saw the amulet in his hand light up and he let out a satisfied laugh. From the window of Rapunzel’s room and from the necklace in the imp’s hand came a wave of magic that soon engulfed the whole kingdom and repaired all that had been broken by the creatures of Blue Beard’s command.

 

“Well, well… your mother would be proud, dearie.”

 

As for himself, he was happily surprised to see the witch’s daughter act so boldly. It could be useful one day.

 

 

Storybrooke, Maine

 

In Dr Whale’s office, the atmosphere was explosive. Regina and Mr Gold were about to kill each other and the doctor and the sheriff, both against Regina’s proposal had to admit all of the paperwork seemed legitimate.

 

“I’m sorry, Dr Whale said, but I don’t see anything that goes against hospital procedures in these files. However, I couldn’t let you transfer Miss French until Dr Hopper has given his professional opinion on her status. How long she stayed in this room or what was done to her in there is still unknown.”

“Only to some, Gold threw at Regina. Of course, you know all of what happened in there, don’t you?”

“And on what you base these accusations?” asked the mayor.

“On the confessions of your employee.”

“A confession you extracted illegally, Gold. It’s inadmissible in court.”

“Oh, I don’t care about court, dear. Everything you had your accomplice do behind this door goes directly against the lease agreement with the hospital,” he showed her the document, “which allows me to close this hospital in retaliation. All these patients will be out on the street, because you couldn’t honour your end of the deal. This will be on your head, my dear.”

 

The mayor’s eyes widened, by the shocking revelation. She knew he could do this. As she was about to answer, one of the two orderlies she had come with entered the office.

 

“Madame Mayor, they’re gone!”

“What the hell do you mean: they’re gone?”

 

They went as fast as they could to the room where Elizabeth French was. She was indeed missing, and so were Rebecca and Dominic. Emma and Dr Whale wondered for a second what had happened, as Regina threw a tantrum on the two employees.

 

“All you had to do was to keep them here until I came back.”

“I’m sorry, answered one. When we came to, they were gone.”

“WHAT?”

“We were knocked out, explained the other, by something blunt like a baseball bat or…”

“A cane!”

 

Regina looked at Gold for a second. He had a little smile.

 

“Don’t look at me, my dear. I was with you the whole time.”

“That blind bastard!”

 

At that moment, Rebecca came back running. She looked at everyone and then at the room. She gasped and turned to Regina.

 

“You moved her already?”

“Oh, don’t pretend to be so innocent, Miss Toren. I know you and your boyfriend are behind this. Where were you just now?”

“I went to the nurse’s station to make a phone call. I called the district attorney because I wanted to find a legal way around you.”

“Oh, is that so?” She looked at the frail woman intensely. “You’re a bad liar, Miss Toren.”

“And so are you! You don’t intend to transfer Elizabeth to the psych ward. You want to lock her up again in one of those awful rooms.” She sighed at Regina’s reaction. “And to think I once believed you were a good person… a good mother.”

“Where is she, Miss Toren?”

“I wish I knew.”

“Don’t play dumb with me… I have ways to make you talk.”

 

Rebecca had a nervous laugh. When she answered, she was very calm, almost scary.

 

“There’s something you clearly don’t understand, Regina… You see, I used to be Mrs Gold. There is only one person in this whole town who is more dangerous, fearsome and unpredictable than you, _and I was married to him_. If I can stand up to him, what makes you think I’m scared of you?”

“You’re trembling.”

“I’m trembling because I’m scared for Elizabeth who is God-knows-where and who needs my help now… ”

“You’re the one who will need help when this is over. Conspiracy to commit a crime, kidnapping a mental patient, refusing to cooperate with the sheriff and I… What else are you prepared to do, Miss Toren?”

 

Rebecca took a deep breath and stared into Regina’s eyes.

 

“Watch me!” she finally said.

 

Regina took her cell phone to call for help, but Dr Whale warned her she couldn’t use it inside. She stormed out, promising retribution. When she was gone, Gold and Emma turned to Rebecca.

 

“What did you do?” asked the sheriff.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sheriff.”

“If Regina gets proof, I won’t be able to protect you. You will be arrested.”

“ _If_ she finds proof. I have the district attorney as an alibi.”

“Is… is she safe?” Gold asked.

 

His ex-wife looked at him with the friendliest smile.

 

“Yes, she is!”

“Why would you risk that much, Rebecca?” Emma asked.

“What if it were Henry? What if your son had lived this hell? What would you do, Sheriff?... You do what you must do to protect your family.”

 

Gold looked at her with puzzled gratitude. She considered him family, after everything he had done to her. She was willing to risk prison to protect his true love and the way she had behaved with Elizabeth, with Belle, was that of a friend, a mother. He knew his love would be safe with ‘Miss Toren’.

 

 

 

Walking alone in the parking lot behind the hospital, Gold almost bumped into Regina. They stared at each other with daggers in the eyes.

 

“Congratulations, Gold. You got your ex-wife to abduct a mental patient. You choose your women well; she is as crazy as her mother was.”

 

He didn’t answer, didn’t have to. He had won against her and didn’t need to gloat. All he needed was to go home and call Rebecca to get more news.

 

“I wouldn’t celebrate just yet. The law is on my side and it doesn’t matter how much the Sheriff wants to help you, I’ll make her play by the rules.”

“Oh, and since when do _you_ play by the rules, Your Majesty?”

“Don’t push me… You wouldn’t want anything to happen to the lovely Miss French, would you?”

 

The impish man burst in laughter.

 

“You try just that, _dearie_. There’s no place in this world, or in ours, where she is safer than with Lady Gothel’s daughter… good luck.”

 

He left her with her surprise and went on his way, savouring this little piece of victory.

 

 

 

Through the window of the room, Elizabeth French saw Mr Gold pass in the street, not knowing she was there, at the inn, a few steps away. In the room, Dominic was keeping guard, as Rebecca came in with a friend of hers, a man she had once loved like a brother, in another world.

 

“Thank you, Dean. We will wait the night here and take her to my home in the morning.”

 

She took Elizabeth’s hands and helped her sit. The woman was still very hazy.

 

“Why are you helping me?”

“Because I understand what you lived. Because I want Regina to pay for what she did to you. And because the man you were just looking at is family to me and I want to help the person he truly loves.”

 

Elizabeth didn’t understand. She had no memory of this man, only dreams that scared her and that she couldn’t understand. But Rebecca made her feel comfortable.

 

She trusted her.


End file.
